RAM: The Soul of Time
Author: Yugal Joshi
Publisher :Har-Anand, Rs595
The characters appear more human instead of being given God-like stature. Ram: The Soul of Time is the story of a prince who wants to do good for his people rather than God who was born as human to destroy evil, writes SHAlINI SAKSENA
We all know the story of Ramayana — it is about maryada purshottam Ram and life’s philosophy. It is about doing one’s duty towards the family, country and the citizens. This is something that most of us want to achieve — in thought and in life. It is what is expected from a person. As human beings we want life to treat us fairly. We strive for peace and harmony. However, there are situations and circumstances that are working to disrupt our small wants — our dream to live in a world where people are treated justly and that there is respect for all living beings.
This and more is what Ram personifies; to reach divinity and offer protection from the evil. Not just the evil outside, in the world that we live in, but the devil inside each one of us. It is a battle that each one of us has to fight on our own and are fighting constantly. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. What matters is that we fight. Through works of writers and poets, this life’s journey has been told and retold several times through Ramayana. It is an epic that is a part of our life and has been handed down to us via story medium, books and even films and serials.
Ram by Yugal Joshi is a story about how Vishwamitra chose a young boy to wage a war against evil. This battle that Ram embarks upon is a fight for a society where there is justice, peace and progress. But in his journey to achieve this, Ram, at the same time, gets entangled with an inner battle — a war that begins at the royal palace and later in the forests where he fights against the rakshasas and their lord.
But it is the way that the story unfolds that makes this book so interesting. Told from a very different perspective, the characters appear to be more human instead of being given God-like stature. In other words, it is a story of a prince who wants to do good for his people rather than God who was born as human to destroy evil. By doing so, Joshi has managed to bring to fore a modern twist to this folklore.
This makes reading more easy without appearing to be very philosophical about the religious sentiments. The fact that there is a more plausible explanation to the mythology makes the narrative realistic, making it more relatable in today’s scenario. The book begins with the narrator taking shelter in a cave trying to take refuge from the cloud burst in Uttarakhand in 2013 in which thousands died.
It is rather poignant as the narrator relives the cloud burst and the horrors that followed and talks about his personal trauma and the desperate attempt to save his life, which was futile as the violently furious Ganga showed no signs of abetting and surged into the sea.
Recalling the story of King Manu where he had wanted to preserve the sacred knowledge, the narrator takes the cue from it and thinks of what he wants to leave for the world before he perishes. It is from here that he takes to writing a diary and the story of Ram unravels: A story that is told rather simply without any frills and fancies. Without building a hype or eulogising the man who is considered to be the incarnation of lord Vishnu.
One doesn’t need to have a religious bent of mind to appreciate this book. It makes for an intelligent read as it adds several characters and stories that one may have forgotten. The way he describes that city of Ayodhya; its richness and grandeur of the palace is brilliant. He also gives you an insight into why Kaikeyee had such a hold over Dasarath — she was much younger and stunningly beautiful; how he alienated his other queens and even in household matters Kaikeyee’s word became final; how he took to ridiculing senior queens and ministers openly just to keep his new bride in good spirits. But most importantly, it talks about how Dasarath showed more affection towards Bharat because he had a passion for royal pleasures as compared to an ascetic Ram.
While this is in total contradiction to what we know about the relationship between Dasarath and Ram, it makes the book more real. It tells you that the author has done a lot of research before he actually got to writing this book. The way the stories are told and characters interwoven with each other make this book a unique reading experience.
But perhaps the way he ends the book is what makes it rather interesting — that Hanuman is immortal and still wanders the Himalayas and gives darshan to those he is pleased with.